Adam Scott to become new world No. 1 without playing the Nelson

Talk about your all-time back-door finishes. Adam Scott will become the No. 1 player in next Monday's Official World Golf Ranking by simply sitting on the bench.

The 2013 Masters champion will become the top-ranked player in the world because the rolling, 104-week formula will give Scott enough points to surpass Tiger Woods by hundredths of a point.

Scott could have become No. 1 in the world this week had he chosen not to compete in The Players Championship. A top-16 finish at TPC Sawgrass would have landed Scott in the top spot. However, he finished T-38.

Scott has never been No. 1 in the world and becomes the second Australian to own the title. Greg Norman is the other, having held the top spot for a total of 331 weeks in his career.

Woods' reign ends after 60 weeks atop the world ranking, his 11th such run. The 60-week span comes in at third of those 11 runs, behind record runs of 281 and 264 weeks.

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About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for over a decade, working for NBC Sports, Golf Channel, Yahoo Sports and SB Nation. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He used to be a good golfer.

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New subscribers to our weekly email newsletter in July will be entered to win 6 Matt Kuchar Bridgestone caps and two dozen Tour B XS golf balls!

Rules and regulations: By submitting your email address, you agree to join both the Golf News Net and Bridgestone Golf email lists. To be eligible for our prizes, you must remain a subscriber on our list through the end of the contest month.